A Legacy Poem by David Harris

Sometimes we meet someone
through a family member
and immediately there is an attraction,
not a physical one,
but something much deeper.
As time passes, friendship ensues
and the person teaches you things
that you will never forget.
They help you through the awkward years
from teenager to adulthood.
You mature beyond your years
without losing your individuality.
I know this is true as it happened to me.
There was no song and dance,
just two lonely people meeting,
taking a chance on friendship,
gathering memories as they went.
Then illness overtook the elder
and they had to move away.
The younger never got the chance
to say a goodbye.
A chance meeting years later
at a busy bus stop brought pain
with the acknowledgement
they would never meet again,
knowing he could never say
just how much she had meant to him,
how their friendship had enriched his life
and helped him grow
even as he grew older.
Her memory remained alive,
which helped him through the difficult times
to go on and survive.
God had taken her to his side,
the reason he did not know why,
but in her passing she left so much behind.
She helped too much to mention
so her kindness he could pass on.
A legacy we all want to leave
and hope we are that strong.

16 September 2008